The image of China in Zhang Zhao’s “Ailao Rhapsody” for piano and orchestra

Statement of the problem. The article is devoted to the study of the musical content of the “Ailao Rhapsody” оp. 25 for piano and orchestra by Zhang Zhao in the aspect of the figurative sphere connected with the originality of national expression. The work is marked by deeply personal reflections of the composer, related to his feelings towards the place where he was born and raised – Yunnan Province. The composer recreated the image of China through a picture of ethnic diversity according to the ancient national philosophical and aesthetic principle of “harmony in diversity”, which serves as a key idea of traditional Chinese culture. Objectives, methods and novelty of the research. Today, the work of Chinese composer Zhang Zhao (born 1964), which arouses considerable interest among Chinese performers and musicologists, is practically unknown to the Ukrainian music community. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the principles of embodying the image of China in the “Ailao Rhapsody” for piano and orchestra by Zhang Zhao. The research methods necessary for revealing this topic are: philosophical and aesthetic, semiotic, ethno-regional, genre and stylistic, and interpretive one. Research results. Through the symbolic title of the work, the image of the small homeland reflects the history and difficult fate of the Hani people, driven into the Ailao mountains (“Mournful Prison”). The history of the Hani national minority is embodied in the work through images of nature, expressing the “spiritual type of natural landscape” (according to the concept of Qin Tian), forming a peculiar archetype of the “landscape of spiritual strength” of people, their historical memory, and the cultural heritage of the nations inhabiting it. The reflection of the originality of the regional musical culture is embodied through musical folklore elements (varieties of the pentatonic mode zheng), the demonstration of dances as the embodiment of ritual – “the deep mental code of tradition” (according to the concept of Lu Jie). The composer combines ancient Eastern and Western thematicism, which not only does not contradict but vividly complements one another, creating the “harmony” (he) of a unified whole in a new quality. The composer creates a “modern” image of the history of the people, not by quoting folklore, but by transforming folk motifs, modes, rhythms with the help of contemporary compositional techniques of writing and Western genres (concerto, rhapsody) and forms (sonata form). The use of European instruments (piano, symphony orchestra) does not negate the Chinese spirit but serves as a powerful means of expressing the depth and universality of the image of China. Conclusion. The image of China as the homeland of the author and his people in its musical embodiment emerges through the principle of unity in diversity. The music is imbued with a sense of pride in compatriots and a deep personal emotional connection of the author with his native land. The success of the “Ailao Rhapsody” is inseparably linked to the original choice of material, the diversity of sound colors, and the unique creative approach of the composer, who synthesized in his work national traditions and Western genre-stylistic experience.